The Creation of the Heavens and All Realms

Chapter 36: A Treasure Trove for Cultivation and the Underworld

“Shepan Mountain is a treasure trove for cultivation for us, but it’s nothing special compared to the Wild Forest,” Sun Chong said. “It’s said that within the Wild Forest, there are blessed cultivation sites where spiritual energy condenses into mist…” “Spiritual energy in the form of mist?” Zhou Tianci couldn’t help but feel a sense of longing. Just how dense must that spiritual energy be! Cultivating in such a blessed place—wouldn’t a single day there be equivalent to several months in the City of Tears and Blood? “If that’s the case, why hasn’t anyone claimed Shepan Mountain?” Zhou Tianci asked. Sun Chong looked at him and said, “It’s not easy to claim Shepan Mountain. In the Wild Forest, any place with dense spiritual energy is bound to be home to powerful demon beasts, because demon beasts don’t understand cultivation—they can only accumulate spiritual energy to fuel their own growth. As for the legendary blessed lands, they’re certainly occupied by divine beasts. Divine beasts are equivalent to human martial artists at the Divine Power Realm—their strength is overwhelming. Who would dare to provoke them?” “Divine beasts?” Zhou Tianci gained a deeper understanding of this world. The four of them hurried toward the valley. Zhou Tianci’s spiritual essence was powerful, and before long, he sensed dozens of traces of Primordial Qi. However, he did not detect any demon beasts. “Commander Sun, are there really demon beasts on Shepan Mountain?” Zhou Tianci asked again. Sun Chong’s expression turned grave: “Yes, and not just one!” “Then why is it so quiet in the valley?” Sun Chong explained, “The demon beasts aren’t in the valley itself, but beneath a cave to the east. The Spirit Lake that produces Yuan Jing is located inside that cave.” Just as Zhou Tianci and his group entered the valley, the four major clans outside the First Mountain Pass also set out. In addition, Innate cultivators from other parts of Jiangzhou began to gather. Although the Northwest Legion guarding the various mountain passes intended to block their path, faced with over a hundred Innate cultivators, not even Liu Yuntao dared to issue such an order. In the end, those Innate cultivators entered the valley without incident. In less than half a day, nearly 200 Innate-level experts had gathered in the small Shepan Mountain Valley. Led by Sun Chong, Zhou Tianci and his group met up with Liu Yuntao in the center of the valley. When they saw Liu Yuntao, he was seated majestically inside a large tent spanning several hundred square meters, with sixteen or seventeen Xiantian experts seated below him—all of them legion commanders, including Cao Ming, Zhou Tianci’s nominal superior. “General, Sun Chong, Yu Talan, Tang Shaokong, and Zhou Shi have arrived as ordered!” the four said, clasping their hands in salute. Liu Yuntao nodded, his gaze fixed on Zhou Tianci. It wasn’t just Liu Yuntao—everyone else in the tent was looking at Zhou Tianci as well. News that Zhou Tianci, the squad leader, had achieved the Innate Realm in such a short time had already spread, and everyone was curious. In addition, the Qianjun Sword he carried was equally eye-catching. Faced with more than a dozen pairs of eyes fixed on him, Zhou Tianci remained unfazed. “Have a seat,” Liu Yuntao said. Once the four had taken their seats, Liu Yuntao continued, “The situation in this battle for Yuan Jing is far from optimistic. Everyone must pull together and not bring shame upon the Northwest Legion. Based on past experience, there will be between 12 and 15 Yuan Jing; we must secure at least five of them!” Zhou Tianci quietly scanned the room. Nearly 200 Innate-level cultivators had gathered at Shepan Mountain this time, while the Northwest Legion had fewer than 30. According to Liu Yuntao’s plan, they were to secure more than one-third of the Yuan Jing with only one-sixth of the total force. The more they took, the less the others would get—after all, with only a dozen or so Yuan Jing available, the other Innate-level cultivators would certainly not agree to this. Zhou Tianci had assumed that such a difficult task would surely draw objections from the other commanders, but in the end, he found not a trace of hesitation on their faces—instead, they all wore expressions that suggested this was only to be expected. “That’s right. Although the Northwest Legion has sent few people, the Great State of Yu’s military is very powerful. Liu Yuntao and his group simply don’t take those ordinary Innate-level experts seriously,” Zhou Tianci realized. As noon approached, all the expected Innate-level experts had arrived, and Liu Yuntao led the commanders out of the main tent. Outside the cave entrance on the eastern side of the valley, over 100 Innate-level experts stood or sat; some were busy chatting with those around them, while others had simply crossed their legs to cultivate. The one thing they all had in common was the intense aura of power radiating from each of them. “The Northwest Legion has arrived!” Upon seeing Liu Yuntao and his entourage approaching, the Innate-level experts rose to their feet one after another. “Greetings, General Liu…” “General Liu, it is a pleasure to meet you…” “General Liu, I am from the Fu family of Yongan City…” Liu Yuntao walked to the very front of the crowd, and as everyone else respectfully greeted him, he merely gave a slight nod, his demeanor exuding great arrogance. Those who greeted him took this in stride, seemingly regarding it as only natural. “This world doesn’t place much value on reciprocity—only strength is the ultimate truth!” Zhou Tianci couldn’t help but think to himself. The first time he’d met Liu Yuntao, he’d been awed by his imposing presence; Liu Yuntao’s aura had felt as vast as an abyss or an ocean, nearly overwhelming his mind. Now, upon seeing him again, Zhou Tianci could discern that Liu Yuntao was at the late Xiantian stage—the most powerful person present. It was precisely because of this power that Liu Yuntao could completely disregard others’ opinions, while others were still forced to respect and yield to him. “This law, where the strong dictate everything, is cruel, yet simple,” Zhou Tianci thought to himself. The commanders of the Northwest Legion followed Liu Yuntao to the very front, exuding an air of superiority over the rest, though they did have rivals—namely, the Four Great Clans, who were also at the head of their respective processions. “General Liu, it’s been a long time,” said Huang Shuyi, the head of the Huang Family, with a refined bow. Liu Yuntao seemed not to notice Huang Shuyi, instead fixing his gaze on Huang Jue behind him: “Commander Huang, according to my orders, you were supposed to be defending the City of Tears and Blood. Why are you here?” Huang Shuyi showed no sign of anger at being ignored by Liu Yuntao and slowly stepped aside, while Huang Jue stepped forward and said, “Reporting to the General, I have led my men to eliminate the ferocious beasts near the City of Tears and Blood and confirmed that the Golden Wolf Empire has no intention of attacking. The City of Tears and Blood is now safe and secure, so I have come here to lend my father a hand.” Liu Yuntao snorted coldly. “Disobeying military orders is a grave offense—it’s not something you can brush off with a few words.” Huang Shuyi replied, “General Liu, as the commander of the Breaking Blade Camp, whether my son is guilty or not should be judged by the capital; you do not have the authority to decide.” A flash of anger flickered in Liu Yuntao’s eyes, but in the end, he had no choice but to let it go. Although he was the General of the Western Campaign, he lacked the authority to discipline a battalion commander; otherwise, wouldn’t the Northwest Legion simply become his personal army? The Four Great Clans also held influence in the capital, and without their backing, Liu Yuntao could not convict Huang Jue. As Liu Yuntao and the Huang family clashed, the surrounding area fell deathly silent. Some wore mocking expressions, as if watching a play, while others looked grave, seemingly worried about something. “Have Liu Yuntao’s relations with the Four Great Families deteriorated to this point?” Zhou Tianci pondered. Now that he stood on Liu Yuntao’s side, a clash with the Four Great Families was inevitable. “All right, the Yuan Jing has been successfully cultivated. Everyone, shall we head into the cave first?” A tall, slender man interjected, breaking the silence. “Master Wan speaks wisely,” Huang Shuyi said with a smile. The man who spoke was Wan Wusheng, the head of the Wanhai Pavilion in the City of Tears and Blood. As the largest merchant guild in the Great State of Yu, the Wanhai Pavilion wielded immense influence; even the Four Great Families and the military had to show it respect. Liu Yuntao nodded. “Everyone, follow me into the cave.” “Is this even a cave? It’s clearly an underground world!” Zhou Tianci followed the group into the cave. The entrance wasn’t particularly wide—about a dozen zhang—but the moment he stepped inside, he felt as though he’d entered another world, and the space suddenly opened up before him. The interior of the cave was immense. Zhou Tianci estimated that the outer passage alone was over ten li wide; as for its length, he couldn’t see where it ended. As for the height… Zhou Tianci looked up and saw a five-colored radiance shimmering from the cave ceiling, obscuring the rocks above. “Marvelous! A true work of nature—the wonders of heaven and earth are truly breathtaking,” Zhou Tianci marveled, whistling in admiration. The others didn’t have Zhou Tianci’s leisure; they were all eager to find the Spirit Lake and see the Yuan Jing as soon as possible. “Everyone, be careful—there are Innate Demon Beasts in this cave!” someone warned amid the clatter of footsteps. No one paid much heed to the warning. Come on—so what if there were Innate Demon Beasts? There were over a hundred Innate-level experts here; if any dared to show up, they’d swarm it and slaughter it in an instant. The group of Innate-level experts moved at breakneck speed; even without using secret techniques, Zhou Tianci estimated their speed exceeded 100 kilometers per hour. Even at that pace, it still took Zhou Tianci and his companions over an hour to reach their destination. After more than an hour, Liu Yuntao, who was leading the way, slowed down, and Huang Shuyi, Wan Wusheng, and the others also slowed their pace. Their expressions were grave, as if facing a formidable enemy. “Everyone, be careful—we’ve entered the demon beast’s territory!” Wan Wusheng warned, “There’s more than one demon beast in that cave!” Hearing this, the others immediately shed their relaxed demeanor, gripped their weapons, and readied themselves for battle. “I never would have imagined there’d be such a massive cave beneath Shepan Mountain,” Zhou Tianci remarked, clutching the Thousand Jun Sword. Compared to the others, he remained relatively relaxed. “Liu Yuntao is at the Innate Gangqi Realm; he must have sensed the aura of the demon beasts ahead. Wan Wusheng is also in the late stage of the Innate Realm. Besides them, there’s another Gangqi Realm expert hiding here—Huang Shuyi!” As if sensing Zhou Tianci’s gaze, Huang Shuyi glanced back at him; Zhou Tianci nonchalantly turned his attention elsewhere. “This head of the Huang family seems to have mastered a secret technique for concealing his aura. Judging by his aura, he’s only at the mid-Xiantian realm. If it weren’t for the Tree of Eternal Creation, I certainly wouldn’t have been able to detect his true strength. I just wonder if Liu Yuntao and Wan Wusheng have noticed him,” Zhou Tianci mused to himself. As the saying goes, “The dog that bites doesn’t bark.” Zhou Tianci also harbored ambitions regarding the Yuan Jing. Among the many people present, only a handful made him wary, and Huang Shuyi ranked at the very top of that list. Zhou Tianci also paid special attention to Gu Dali’s movements; he was being fairly cautious, staying at the very back of the group. However, this attempt at concealment didn’t serve much purpose. There were only so many Xiantian cultivators in Jiangzhou, and quite a few of them recognized Gu Dali. As long as he didn’t make a move now, he could still suppress his aura, but once the fighting began, his identity would surely be exposed.